Well trap



WELL TRAP Filed July 14 1931 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 r r UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE WELL TRAP Arthur F. O'Connor, Chicago, 111., assignor to Equipment Specialties Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 14, 1931. Serial No. 550,683

Claims. (Cl. 182-8) My invention relates in general to traps and fitting 13 adapted to be set in an opening has more particular reference to a well trap formed preferably in the floor 1'7 of the compartadapted for use in railroad refrigerator cars and ment to be drained, which may be and preferother refrigeration apparatus. Refrigerator cars ably is the ice or refrigerant compartment of a 5 are ordinarily provided with drains for the melted railroad refrigerator car, although, of course, the refrigerant, condensed and other moisture, which well trap has other application and may be used may collect inside the refrigerator compartment. for the purpose of draining other than refriger- An important object of the invention is to proators.

vide a trap for normally sealing the drain to pre- The fitting 13 preferably comprises an annular .10 vent the ingress. of relatively hot air through the flange 19, by which to secure the device in place, 5 drain While P t ng the egress of such mOisthe flange preferably having a plurality of cirture or fluid as may be required to be drained out cularly arranged, spaced-apart perforations ,21 of the compartment. therein, through which suitable fastening means Refrigerator Cars and like pp u a re- (not shown), such as nutted bolts, rivets and 15 quently utilized, during the winter months, as the like, may extend in order to secure the fitting 7 heated transport means for merchandise which on the portion to which it is mounted. The fitting deteriorates when cooled below a certain critical is usually and preferably fastened to a drain pan temperature. For such use, means is provided for 13, which is or may be supported on or by the heating the insulated compartment in which the floor 1'] and the flange also may be welded to the g ods are Carried a it is necessary in the interpan 13 if expedient and in such case, the per- 75 es of economical p a i to p v t th r ss forations 21 may be omitted. The fitting 13 also of cold air through the drains. In a heated comcomprises a, center bowl 23 preferably formed pa of the class ed, here will be integrally with the flange 19, the fitting being of little, if any, moisture to be drained and so the s ch Shape that it may be formed Very cheap- ,25 trap formed in the drain cannot rely upon the 1y as a sheet metal punching, although, of course, so

fluid to be drained to form a fluid seal and it is t fitting may be fqymed as casting if another important object of my invention to proir d V vide-a trap of the class described, which will seal h b gg is provided t apreferably the drain against the ingress of air even when tral opening 25 in its bottom, through which exthere is no fluid to be drained, said trap being tends a drain pipe 27, t e upper end 29 of which instantaneously operable to drain out the flu d projects within the bowl 23, terminating a short in eXoesS of a ma u q y as $0011 as the distance above the bottom thereof and providing some accumulates at the dra an upwardly facing drain opening 31 within the An t e Object is to provide a p inexp m bowl. The drain pipe 27 preferably fits snugly .35 sive, easily ma u a dr in ap o e c a within the bowl opening 25 and is preferably sede c ib f rugged r i n -W d p cured in place by a continuous weld 32 extended to furnish positive operation in service and to ing completely around the pipe at the insertion be easily assembled in operative position as in the thereof with the inner surface of the bottom of floor of an insula ed r i road refrigerator car. the bowl 23. The pipe 27 is also secured and .40 Numerous other objectsand adva of t e sealed in place by means of the spaced-apart invention will be more fully understood from the weldsf33 on the outer surface of the bowl bottom following description, which, taken in connection at the edge of the opening 25.

with the ac ying drawi discloses a p The drain trap also comprises a float 35 com- .ferred embodimentof my invention. prising a hollow, hermetically sealed shell, pref- 45 Refe i to the drawing: erably of sheet metal, the lower face of which is Fi ur i a top p View Of a drain and p provided with a central, downwardly embossed embo ying my Present invention; and seat 3'7 and a peripheral bead 39 encircling and ,Figure'2 is-a vertical section taken substantially extending downwardly substantially below t alon th in in u e surface of the embossed portion 3'7. The shell,

:50 To illust y invention, I have shown 8 comprising the float 35, is provided with a pair drain a d a drain trap pl means formof registering perforations 41 in its upper and inga sump or r p a in which fluid o b lower walls, the perforation in the lower wall drained may be collected. This receptacle may, being preferably centrally located with respect of course, be formed in any su'table manner but to the embossed portion. These perforations 41 355 I prefer to provide the same in the form of a are of sufficient size to receive a pintle 43, which is sealed in position preferably by circles of solsealing means also operates to hermetically close the perforations 41 around the pintle 43.

The pintle has a lower end 4'1 extending substantially downwardly of the surface of the embossed portion and an upper end 49 extending substantially upwardly of the upper wall of the float casing 35. The lower projecting end 47 of the pintle carries a rubber disk 51 having a preferably central perforation 53 through which the pintle extends, the rubber disk 51 being held against the boss 3'7 by means of a washer 55 of steel or other suitable material which is held on the end of the pintle by means of a cotter or split pin 57, or other suitable fastening means, the pintle 47 being provided with a diametrical bore 59 to receive the pin.

The float is arranged in the fitting 13 with the axis of the pintle 43 in substantial alignment with the pipe 27, the rubber Washer 51 being seated upon the upper edge 29 of the pipe and substantially closing and sealing the pipe opening 31. In order to hold the float and associated elements in pipe sealing position, the upper projecting end 49 of the pintle extends loosely through a relatively large perforation 61 formed in a preferably metal strap 63, which is laid across the fitting 13 with its opposite ends resting upon the flange 19. The strap 63 is held in place with the opening 61 in substantially vertical alignment with the opening 31 in position to receive the end 49 of the pintle. For this purpose the opposite ends of the strap 63 are provided with perforations 67 adapted to receive pins fastened to and extending upwardly of the flange 19. The pins 65 are provided with preferably diametrical channels to receive split pins or other fastening means (not shown) in order to hold the strap 63 in place.

In operation, the fluid to be drained gradually accumulates in the sump 11. The weight of the float, pintle and sealing gasket 51 is ordinarily sufiicient to press the gasket firmly against the upper open end of the drain pipe 27 so that the same is normally sealed against the ingress of Warm air or the egress of cold air through the drain pipe. This condition prevails when the sump is empty and until sufllcient fluid accumulates in the sump to raise the float slightly. The depending peripheral bead 39 formed in the float extends, when the float is in normal pipesealing position, substantially below the upper end of the pipe and the float will ordinarily not be raised from pipe sealing position until the fluid level has risen above the lowermost portion of the depending bead 39, that is to say, until a water-seal is formed, and I prefer to form the float and its associated apparatus sufficiently heavy to prevent the float from being raised from pipe sealing position until the fluid level has reached the upper end of the drain pipe, 2. level indicated by the dotted line 71 in Figure 2 of the drawing, substantially above'the bottom ofthe head 39.

Any increase in the amount of fluid in the sump above that critical amount indicated by the dotted line 71, therefore results in raising the float and permittingethe excess to drain off into the pipe 27 between the raised gasket 51 and the upper end of the pipe. It will be apparent that, when the float and attached gasket 51 are raised, the float, on account of the depending peripheral head 29, which encircles the gasket and the upper end of the pipe, together with the fluid on "which the float is supported, will form a fluid seal for the pipe, which seal'will substantially prevent the ingress or egress of air or other gas 7 through the drain.

The device of my present invention is therefore adapted to forms. mechanical seal at all times when the fluid level in the sump is below a predetermined critical elevation and when the level exceeds this critical point, the mechanical seal will be broken to permit the escape of excess fluid while the parts co-operate to form a fluid seal at such times so that the trap at all times prevents the passage of air and other gases while permitting the escape of excess fluid.

It is thought that the invention and numerous of its" attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope'of my invention or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages; the form herein described being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a well trap, means forming a liquid pocket having an upwardly open overflow outlet, a float having a portion overlying and normally sealing said outlet and a depending hollow portion extending below the level of said sealing portion whereby a liquid-seal may be provided as the liquid level in the pocket reaches said portion, said portion being adapted to buoy up the float as the liquid level rises above the level at which the liquid-seal is formed in order to open the outlet for the escape of liquid.

2. In a well trap, means forming a liquid pocket, means forming an upwardly opening overflow outlet in said pocket, means forming a closure for said outlet comprising a float in said pocket comprising a hollow shell-like memher having a central axial pin extending therethrough, a downwardly extending embossment formed in the lower surface of said float adjacent the lower projecting end of said pin, an outlet sealing disk or plate seated on said embossment and encircling said pin, fastening means carried by said pin to secure the sealing member upon the embossment, said float being also formed with an annular hollow portion formed in the float outwardly of the embossment and depending substantially below the sealing member, and meansv to support the float in the liquid pocket with the sealing member in position extending across the upwardly opening overflow outlet.

3. In a well trap, means. forming a liquid pocket having an upwardly open over-flow outlet, a float in said pocket, and an outlet-sealing gasket carried by said float in position to overlie and normally seal said outlet, said float having a depending hollow portion extending below the level of said outlet when the float is in normal outlet sealing position whereby a liquid seal may be provided as the liquid level in said pocket reaches said portion, said portion being adapted to buoy up the float and raise the outlet-sealing gasket as the liquid level rises in the pocket above the level at which the liquid seal is formed in order to open the outlet for the escape of the liquid while preventing the escape of gases.

4. In a well trap, means forming a liquid pocket having an upwardly open over-flow outlet, a

float comprising a shell-like member having a portion overlying said outlet and having projecting means extending downwardly centrally of said portion, and an outlet-sealing gasket of resilient material carried by said projecting portion and seated on said portion in position to normally seal said outlet, means carried by the projecting means to hold the gasket in place upon the portion, said float having a hollow portion encircling and extending below the level of said gasket whereby a liquid-seal for the outlet is provided when the liquid level in the pocket reaches said hollow portion, said hollow portion being adapted to buoy up the float and shift the sealing gasket to open the outlet when the liquid level rises in the pocket above the level at which the liquid seal is formed.

5. In a well trap, means forming a liquid pocket, means forming an upwardly open overflow outlet in said pocket, a float in said pocket comprising a hollow shell-like member, said shell-like member having downwardly facing embossment formed in its lower surface, said embossment being of lesser size than the overflow outlet, and a resilient outlet sealing gasket mounted on said embossment and having edges projecting outwardly of the edges of the embossment in position to sealingly engage the edges of the over-flow outlet, said float being also formed with a portion extending outwardly of and below the sealing gasket and encircling the over-flow outlet whereby a liquid seal for the outlet may be provided when the upper level of liquid in the pocket reaches said portion, said portion serving to raise the float in the pocket and lift the sealing gasket from the over-flow outlet when the liquid level rises above the level at which the liquid seal is formed whereby to open the outlet for the escape of liquid.

ARTHUR F. O'CONNOR. 

